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Sunday, January 24, 2010

Storyblogging Carnival XXIV

NOTE: As a reminder, this is a re-post, so some of the links may be outdated.

Welcome to the twenty-fourth Storyblogging Carnival, a bi-weekly collection of fiction from around the blogosphere. Previous carnivals are archived in the Storyblogging Carnival category of this blog. A Carnival collects and organizes entries from numerous participants in a central location, and this Carnival collects examples of Storyblogging. For new visitors, Storyblogging is simply story-telling in blog format, and may range from posting a short story on a blog to posting a long serial story there, from blogging as a fictional persona to collaborative story-telling. It can even be non-fiction that tells a story rather than recites facts. There are twelve stories this week, two from new participants.

You'll notice that there are two stories rated NC-17 in this carnival. My policy over what degree of sex and/or violence is acceptable in the carnival is that it's entirely up to the host. But what about when I'm the host? When it comes to sex, at least, any sort of explicit description will get an NC-17 rating, which is why these two stories have it. When it's not explicit, but it's still there, the story will probably get an R--as my own story "A Stranger in the Library" received. But is there a limit for what I'll include in the carnival? The short answer is "yes." The long answer is that I'm not quite sure what that limit is. The two stories I included made the cut since I found the stories themselves both interesting and well-written, even if parts made me uncomfortable. Other than that, I can't tell if another story will make it until I read it, and I can tell you with certainty that some of the other hosts would not have accepted these stories, and others would have had no problem with them.

Of course, if you wanted to make it easier on me and the other hosts, you could tone down what stories you submit to the carnival. You can write whatever you want on your own blog, but the host implicitly takes a certain amount of responsibility for what he links to, even when he liberally applies warnings to the link. And while it's not my goal to go so far as to keep the carnival family-friendly, I really don't want my sister telling her daughter that she's not allowed to read my blog.The Fools' Villageby Tom Harrison of Monday EveningA 263 word brief story rated G.

It's about being a whore and being pure about worldly things, including money which this non-fiction story is about.

[From the description, you can probably guess why it receives this rating. The story itself is not the most graphic in this carnival, but much of the rest of the blog is disturbing. Enter at your own risk. -DSC]Scale 7 Artifact, Part 9 (Beginning)by Dave Gudeman of Doc RampageThe next 2,441 words of a 16,388 word story in progress rated PG.

The expedition to Moon 3 won't have any marines to guard them from alien animals, but the team won't exactly be helpless.

[Despite saying that he was going to focus on Dying Earth stories, Doc has returned to Scale 7 Artifact. I, for one, am glad to see it, as I was wondering what would happen next. -DSC]Chapters 82,83,84, and 85 of The Child (Beginning)by Sheya Joie of Tales by SheyaThe next 2,537 words of a 68,277 word novel in progress rated PG.

The novel BR continues and this time Andrew has given us two chapters to chew on. In the light of the recent attack in London the title is rather apt.

[Andrew takes us to a near future where the EU rules Europe with all the competence you'd expect, and everything's coming apart at the seams. This is a departure from his Cthulhu tales, but very interesting. -DSC]City of Peace: part 2 (Beginning)by Curtis Schweitzer of working titlesThe next 3,726 words of a 8,227 story rated R.

The first installment of "city of peace" began with a story about redemption. Inasmuch as this is what I hope will become the theme of the overall work, I am tracing its effects through different characters. In a way, it reminds me of the parable of the sower, in which redemption is offered but only sometimes taken. Likewise, these characters have all been given the chance to begin life anew--to be saved from their desperate circumstances. In this installment, Nathan James Riley ("The Bum") shows us that all too often, the story does not end happily.

The Blogosphere starts to operate as a problem-solving machine on Sharon's behalf, and the first gusts of what will become a perfect blogstorm are felt.

[I'm glad the blogosphere is living up to its billing. -DSC]Cheatedby Josh Cohen of The New D-42A 10,378 word short story rated NC-17.

A story about two couples. Actually, one couple, seen through the eyes of another as they come to terms with the effect they have on each other. Part of a continuum of stories about "Little Infidelities". Contains adult language, adult situations (some of them including moderately-explicit sex), and mild violence.

[The author was concerned that I would find this story too sexually explicit. It certainly is so, but the quality of the writing and of the story-telling outweigh my discomfort with some of the scenes. -DSC]I hope you enjoyed this Carnival. If you'd like to participate in future Storyblogging Carnivals, or just join the e-mail list, please contact me.

The Storyblogging Carnival can be found at The Truth Laid Bear's ÜberCarnival.